Automated picking, weighing and sorting system for particulate matter

ABSTRACT

An automated machine is used to handle and manipulate individual pieces of particulate matter. The particulate matter is contained in a bin. The machine operates to pick single individual pieces of the particulate matter from the bin. The picked individual pieces are then conveyed for further handling. Pneumatic transport is primarily used for the conveying operation. One aspect of the handling involves individually weighing each piece of the picked particulate matters. Another aspect of the handling involves sorting the individual pieces of particulate matter into a plurality of receptacles. Yet another aspect of the handling involves both weighing and then sorting the individual pieces of particulate matter, wherein the sorting operation may be performed based upon the measured weight of each piece.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from previously filed U.S.Provisional Application for Patent Ser. No. 60/370,018 filed Apr. 4,2002, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system that is operable to pickindividual pieces of particulate matter from a bin, weigh thoseindividual pieces, and then sort the weighed individual pieces forfurther processing.

There exist a number of industrial applications where it becomesimportant for weight information to be collected with respect toindividual pieces of particulate matter. In this context, “particulatematter” refers to objects having a uniform or non-uniform size and shapethat generally possess a granular, pelletal or pill-like characterhaving an average volume of between 5 and 500 cubic millimeters and/oran average weight of between 0.001 and 10 grams.

As a specific example, in the agricultural industry, and morespecifically in the seed breeding industry, it is important forscientists to accurately know the weight of individual seeds (i.e., thespecies of “particulate matter” of interest). This information, inconjunction with other pieces of analytic data (such as trait data,molecular data, magnetic resonance data, color data, size data, shapedata, and the like), assists the scientist/breeder in selectivelychoosing certain seeds (and families of seeds) for further breedingand/or analysis.

As another example, in the pharmaceutical industry, it may be importantto deliver known quantities with certain weight characteristics to acertain process. In this way, the scientist/formulator can preciselycontrol the amount of a certain component that is contributed inproducing a given product. The same holds true in the chemical industrywhere the constituent parts of a chemical composition must be known andaccurately delivered by weight.

The generally small size of individual pieces of particulate mattermakes them quite difficult and inconvenient for human manipulation. Forexample, it is quite difficult for many humans to accurately select,grasp and handle a single piece of particulate matter (like a seed orpill or grain or particle) from a bin containing hundreds or thousandsof other pieces for placement on, and removal from, a weighing scale.Picking, selecting and working with these individual pieces becomes avery tedious task that provides little job satisfaction. Although humanscan and are often employed to perform the job, the foregoing and otherfactors (including, for example, exorbitant labor costs, concerns withemployee turnover, and human errors) are driving a move towardsincreased, if not complete, automation of the handling process.

There is accordingly a need in the art for an automated solution to theproblem of handling particulate matter in a number of contextsincluding, individually and collectively, operations for: selectingindividual pieces from a storage bin; weighing individual pieces; andsorting individual pieces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address the needs discussed above, as well as other needs recognizedby those skilled in the art, an automated machine is used to handle andmanipulate individual pieces of particulate matter. The machine operatesto pick single individual pieces of the particulate matter from a bincontaining many pieces. The picked individual pieces are then conveyedfor further handling. One aspect of this handling involves individuallyweighing each piece of the picked particulate matter. Another aspect ofthis handling involves sorting the individual pieces of particulatematter into a plurality of receptacles. Yet another aspect of thishandling involves both weighing and then sorting the individual piecesof particulate matter. The sorting operation may, but need notnecessarily, be performed based upon the measured weight of each piece.

More specifically, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, amachine is provided that includes a piston having an end with a concavedepression therein. The piston is positioned to pass through an openingin a bottom portion of a bin. An actuator is coupled to the piston andis operable to move the piston through the opening in the bin between afirst position substantially flush with the opening in the bottomportion of the bin and a second position where the end is raised abovethe bottom portion of the bin. When the bin contains particulate matter,the movement of piston from the first position to the second positionunder the control of the actuator causes a single individual piece ofparticulate matter in the bin to be captured by the concave depressionand raised above the bottom portion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, anindividual piece of particulate matter, once captured, is next removedand conveyed. In a preferred embodiment, the removed individual piece isconveyed through a tube using a pressurized air stream. In oneembodiment, the conveyed piece is carried to a location (such as ascale) where a weighing operation is performed. In another embodiment,the conveyed piece is carried to a location where a sorting operation isperformed. In yet another embodiment, the conveyed piece is carriedfirst to be weighed and then is further conveyed to be sorted.

Another aspect of the present invention utilizes an air jet to blow aweighed individual piece of particulate matter off the scale to beconveyed. In a preferred embodiment, the removed individual piece isconveyed through a tube using a pressurized air stream generated by theair jet. In an embodiment, the conveyed piece is carried to a locationwhere a sorting operation is performed. In accordance with anotherembodiment, two air jets, offset in angle from each other, areselectively actuated to blow the weighed individual piece of particulatematter off the scale. Preferably, the two air jets are mutuallyexclusively actuated to send the individual piece for conveying to aselected one of two distinct locations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the presentinvention may be acquired by reference to the following DetailedDescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a particulate matter handlingsystem in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic side views of one embodiment for a pickingportion of the selection subsystem utilized within the system of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A through 3C are schematic side views of another embodiment forthe picking portion of the selection subsystem utilized within thesystem of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic side views of a depositing portion of theselection subsystem utilized within the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the weighing subsystem utilized withinthe system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a ducted port system for theinter-subsystem passing device utilized within the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a schematic orthogonal diagram of a sorting subsystem utilizedwithin the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an orthogonal view of a particulate matter handling system inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the control operation for theparticulate matter handling system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 wherein there is shown a functionalblock diagram of a particulate matter handling system 10 in accordancewith the present invention. A bin 12 is sized to hold a large number ofindividual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 (for example, tens tothousands, or more). A selection subsystem 18 operates to pick 20individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 from the bin 12, and thenroute 22 the picked individual pieces for further handling. As aspecific example of the further handling that could be performed by thesystem 10, the picked 20 individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16may be routed 22 to a weighing subsystem 28 where they are individuallydeposited on a scale 24 and weighed 26. As another example of thefurther handling that could be performed by the system 10, the picked 20individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 may be routed 22 to asorting subsystem 30 where they are individually sorted 32 and deposited36 in selected locations 34.

Node 38 in the routing 22 path for the operation of the selectionsubsystem 18 represents an alternative path selection point(implemented, for example, using a diverter mechanism) where the system10 may choose to send the picked 20 individual pieces 14 of particulatematter 16 either directly to the weighing subsystem 28 or directly tothe sorting subsystem 30. The system 10 is thus operable in one of twomodes: a first mode for picking and weighing; and, a second mode forpicking and sorting; with that mode choice implemented through theselection subsystem 18 and its control over the alternative pathselection point node 38. In this configuration, a user of the system 10may selectively choose how the picked 20 individual pieces 14 ofparticulate matter 16 are handled to achieve desired processing andhandling goals. It will further be understood by one skilled in the artthat a system 10 may be implemented including only the componentsnecessary to implement one of the two identified modes (for example,just a pick and sort (mode 2) system without any provision being madefor a weighing application or option, if desired).

It is recognized, for many scientific applications, that both weighingand sorting operations are necessary with respect to picked 20individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16. In this regard, thesorting operation may be performed based in whole or in part on themeasured weight. Alternatively, the sort is not necessarily weightdriven, but knowledge, once sorted, of individual piece 14 weight isimportant for the scientific investigation being performed.

To assist in a scientific investigation where use of both the weighingsubsystem 28 and the sorting subsystem 30 are necessary, the system 10further includes an inter-subsystem passing device 40 that operates tocollect 42 individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 from the scale24 of the weighing subsystem 28 (after weighing 26), and then pass 44the collected individual pieces to the sorting subsystem 30 where theyare individually sorted 32 and deposited 36 in selected locations 34. Itis also possible for the inter-subsystem passing device 40 to collect 42individual pieces 14 from the scale 24 of the weighing subsystem 28(after weighing 26), and then pass 44 the collected individual pieces onfor other handling (perhaps as being rejected for delivery to thesorting subsystem 30). The system 10 is thus further operable in a thirdmode for picking, weighing, and then sorting; with that mode choiceimplemented through the selection subsystem 18 and its control over thealternative path point node 38 and the operation of the inter-subsystempassing device 40. Sorting in this context includes not only the actionstaken to sort 32 to selected locations 34 in the sorting subsystem 30,but also to the actions taken in the inter-subsystem passing device 40to reject/forward individual pieces on for handling.

The operation of the system 10 is preferably completely automated. Morespecifically, the operations performed by the selection subsystem 18,weighing subsystem 28, sorting subsystem 30 and inter-subsystem passingdevice 40 preferably occur substantially without need for humaninteraction, intervention or control. It is also possible for any neededactions to load the particulate matter 16 into the bin 12 and/orphysically manipulate and change the structure of the locations 34(either individually or collectively, such as receptacles, trays, or thelike) where sorted individual pieces 14 are deposited, to be automatedas well. These actions, however, are generally done manually with humanparticipation without detracting from the improved performance obtainedby the system 10 in comparison to other semi-automated and/or manualsystems in the prior art.

To effectuate this automated operation over all or substantially all ofthe system 10, a central controller 46 is included that may comprise aspecially programmed computer and associate peripheral devices thatenable communication with, and control over the operations of, thevarious components of the system 10. As an example, the centralcontroller 46 may comprise a Pentium III® class personal computerrunning a Windows NT® operating system with a custom C++ applicationexecuting to control component operations. Use of the Pentium/Windowscombination opens the door for the use of other custom or commercial(off-the-shelf) applications in conjunction with the control operationapplication to exchange data (for example, use of spread sheet or reportgenerating applications to output particulate matter handling data tothe user).

A peripheral controller 48, connected to the central controller 46,interfaces with the system 10 components, and directs, under theinstruction of the central controller pursuant to the executing customapplication, system component operation. For example, the peripheralcontroller 46 may function to control the operation of the each of theselection subsystem 18, weighing subsystem 28, sorting subsystem 30 andinter-subsystem passing device 40, both individually and in acoordinated effort with each other. The peripheral controller 48 maycomprise a Parker 6K Compumotor controller manufactured by the ParkerHannifin Corp. A more detailed explanation of peripheral controller 48operation is provided herein in connection with FIG. 9. The connection50 between the peripheral controller 48 and the central controller 46may comprise any network-based type connection and more specifically mayutilize an ethernet 10-base T connection.

In addition to storing programming for controlling system 10 operation,the memory (or other data storage functionality, not explicitly shownbut inherently present) provided within the central controller 46 isused to store the weights 26 of the individual pieces 14 of particulatematter 16 in tabular, database, or other suitable format. This weightinformation (more generally referred to as data 52) is collected fromthe system 10 operation and delivered to the central controller 46 forstorage and/or manipulation, as necessary. Still further, the memory ofthe central controller 46 may also obtain data 52 that is received from,or is derived in connection with controlling the operation of, thesorting subsystem 30 concerning the locations 34 where picked 20individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 have been deposited 36.Preferably, this location data is correlated in the tabular, database,or other format, with the stored weight data on an individualpiece-by-piece basis.

The system further includes a number of sensors 54 that operate todetect conditions of interest in the system and report that informationto either or both the central controller 46 and/or the peripheralcontroller 48. With this information, the central controller 46 and theperipheral controller 48 exercise control (generally illustrated byarrow 56) over the operations and actions taken by the variouscomponents of the system 10. For example, the sensed conditioninformation may concern: the successful picking 20 of an individualpiece 14 from the bin 12; position of the diverting path for the node38; location of the individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 withinthe system, especially concerning conveyance along, through and past thevarious system components; the successful collection 42 of theindividual pieces of particulate matter from the scale 24 of theweighing subsystem 28; the direction of deposit 36 performed by thesorting subsystem 30; the status (for example, position, location,vacuum, pressure, and the like) of various component parts of thesubsystems; operation, maintenance, performance, and error feedback fromthe various components of the system (separate from, or perhapscomprising or in conjunction with, collected data 52); and the like.More specifically, sensor information that is collected and processedfor use in controlling system operation may include information like:device or component status; error signals; movement; stall; position;location; temperature; voltage; current; pressure; and the like, whichcan be monitored with respect to the operation of each of the components(and parts thereof) within the system 10. Some additional detail onsensor operation and use is provided herein in connection with thediscussion of FIG. 9.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A and 2B wherein there are shownschematic side views of one embodiment for a picking portion of theselection subsystem 18 utilized within the system of FIG. 1. As can beseen, the bin 12 includes a concave-shaped (inwardly sloped) bottomportion 60. This serves to direct individual pieces 14 of particulatematter 16, through the force of gravity, toward the bottom 62 of the bin12 as pieces are picked therefrom, and thus enhance the likelihood ofpicking each piece contained within the bin. At the bottom 62 of theconcave-shaped portion 60 is an opening 64. Positioned within theopening 64 is a linear air piston 66. When positioned in an un-actuatedposition (shown in FIG. 2A), end 68 of the piston 66 is located suchthat it is substantially flush with the bottom 62 at the opening 64. Itwill be recognized that “substantially flush” in this context includes aposition slightly below the bottom 62 where the opening 64 may act tohold an individual piece for subsequent capture by the piston 66 asdescribed below. The end 68 of the piston 66 is further provided with aconcave depression 70 (illustrated in dotted lines) whose perimeter isslightly smaller than the outer diameter of the piston 66 itself. Theperimeter of the depression 70 is sized, generally speaking, to becommensurate with, and more particularly, slightly larger than, theexpected average size of the individual pieces 14 of particulate matter16 to be contained within the bin 12 and handled by the system 10. Thisallows for the handling of individual pieces of non-uniform size/shape.An air drive 72 operates under the control of the peripheral controller48 and central controller 46 (see, FIG. 1) to linearly move the piston66 between the un-actuated location shown in FIG. 2A and the actuatedlocation shown in FIG. 2B. When moving towards the actuated location(FIG. 2B), the concave depression 70 at the end 68 of the piston 66captures an individual piece 14 of particulate matter 16 from the massof matter in the bin and raises it above the bottom portion to alocation above a top edge 74 of the bin 12.

Once an individual piece has been raised above the top edge 74, it isnecessary to remove the individual piece from the end of the piston forfurther handling. An air jet 76 (also actuated under the control of theperipheral controller 48 and central controller 46) is used to blow 80the individual piece off the end 68 of the piston 66 and into a tube 78that functions as part of a conveyance mechanism of the selectionsubsystem 18 to route 22 the picked individual piece for furtherhandling. The air jet 76 may take on any suitable form including, forexample, a tube selectively supplied with pressurized air (perhapsthrough a valve mechanism), with the tube terminated by a nozzle aimedin the direction necessary to blow 80 the individual piece as desired.

As an enhancement to the operation of the picking portion, concurrentwith the actuation of the air jet 76, a slight vacuum may be drawn 82through the open end of the tube 78 to suck the dislodged individualpiece 14 of particulate matter 16 into the tube for routing 22. Thissuction may be effectuated using Venturi (or other suitable suction)forces in a manner well known in the art. Although advantageous, the useof such a suction is not necessary for many system 10 applications.

As an alternate embodiment, the picking portion may in some instancesutilize solely the tube 78 along with the drawing 82 of a vacuum thereinto remove by suction the individual piece 14 of particulate matter 16from the end of the piston 66. This suction may be effectuated usingVenturi (or other suitable suction) forces in a manner well known in theart.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A through 3C wherein there are shownschematic side views of another embodiment for the picking portion ofthe selection subsystem 18 utilized within the system of FIG. 1. Theselection subsystem 18 shown in FIGS. 3A-3C has a number ofcomponents/operations in common with that shown in FIGS. 2A-2B anddescribed above, thus obviating the need for a repeat description as tothose common components/operations.

The air drive 72 operates under the control of the peripheral controller48 and central controller 46 (see, FIG. 1) to linearly move the piston66 between the un-actuated location shown in FIG. 3A and the actuatedlocation shown in FIG. 3B, and in that operation raises a capturedindividual piece 14 of particulate matter 16 above bottom portion of thebin 12 and adjacent a vacuum cup 90. More specifically, in a preferredembodiment, the piston 66 is raised into the actuated location thatplaces the captured individual piece 14 of particulate matter 16 incontact with a vacuum cup 90. To minimize the likelihood of damagecaused by such contact, the vacuum cup 90 is preferably spring loadedand thus will give in response to contact caused by the raising of thecaptured individual piece. At that point, a slight vacuum is drawn(dotted arrows 92; under the control of the peripheral controller 48 andcentral controller 46) to hold the seed within the vacuum cup 90. Thisvacuum may be drawn using Venturi forces in a manner well known in theart. The piston 66 is then returned to the un-actuated location shown inFIG. 3C (and thus be positioned to start the process for picking a nextindividual piece).

The individual piece held by the vacuum cup 90 is now ready to bedelivered for further processing. In a substantially simultaneous manner(under the control of the peripheral controller 48 and centralcontroller 46), the vacuum cup 90 releases the held individual piece(perhaps using a positive pressure 94 in addition to gravitationalforce) and an air jet 76 is used to blow 80 the released individualpiece into a tube 78 that functions as part of a conveyance mechanism toroute 22 the picked individual piece for further handling.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 4A and 4B wherein there are shownschematic side views of a depositing portion of the selection subsystem18 utilized within the system of FIG. 1. A tube 100 carries the pickedand routed 22 (or passed 44) individual piece in a pressurized airstream (introduced by the air jet 76 in FIGS. 2B and 3C). An elbowsection 102 of the tube translates horizontal travel from the tube 78(see, generally, FIGS. 2A and 3A) into vertical travel (if necessary)for the purpose of depositing the individual piece at a certainlocation. To minimize the risk of damage to the individual piece,however, a systematic deceleration of the traveling piece is performedby the depositing portion in a velocity transition region of the tube100. In the illustrated embodiment, the velocity transition regiongenerally coincides with the location of the elbow section 102 and thetermination of the tube, although this need not necessarily be the case.The elbow section 102 of the tube 100 includes a plurality oflongitudinal cuts 104 (shown in dotted line format) made in the interiorsurface of the tube. The cuts 104 expand the volume within the tube 100in the area of the elbow section 102 and this results in a reduction inthe air pressure at that location. The reduction in air pressureeffectuates a slowing in the travel velocity of the individual piecebeing carried within the pressurized air stream.

At the distal end of the tube 100 is a collar 106. In a preferredembodiment, the collar 106 is pneumatically actuated 108 to slidebetween an un-actuated location shown in FIG. 4A and an actuatedlocation shown in FIG. 4B. The collar 106 includes a plurality of radialholes 110 drilled therein at various heights about its perimeter. Twofunctions are served by the collar 106. First, when lowered into theactuated location (FIG. 4B), the collar 106 defines a fence that acts tocontain the deposited individual piece within a certain area 112 of thedeposited location 114. Second, the pattern of the holes 110 in thecollar 106 allows the pressurized air stream to escape in a controlledmanner, reduces the air pressure in the tube 100 at the collar, andfurther slows the travel velocity of the individual piece within thepressurized air stream as it reaches the deposited location 114.

It will be recognized that in some applications, the collar 106 may befixed to the distal end of the tube 100, in which case there is no needfor a pneumatic actuator 108 (see, for example, the sorting subsystem 30as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8). It will further be recognized that nocollar 106 is necessarily required, and that the holes 110 mayalternatively be formed radially in the tube 100 itself at a locationnear its distal end to assist with velocity transition.

The depositing portion of the selection subsystem 18 shown in FIGS. 4Aand 4B may be used to deliver pieces to either the weighing subsystem 28(for deposit on the scale) or the sorting subsystem 30 (for deposit at asorter selected location). The use of a slidable collar 106 in eithercase allows for accurate and controlled delivery of the individual pieceto be made by the selection subsystem 18 (when the collar is down).Additionally, when the collar 106 is up, the selection subsystem 18 doesnot interfere with the operation of the scale 24 (FIG. 1) or router 32(also, FIG. 1) mechanisms.

Reference is now once again made to FIG. 1, and also to FIG. 5 whereinthere is shown a schematic diagram of the weighing subsystem 28. Thescale 24 used within the weighing subsystem 28 may be any suitable scaleproviding accurate weight measurements within a required degree (forexample, measured out to hundredths or thousandths of the desiredmeasurement unit). For example, in a preferred embodiment, the scale isbased on a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) with an ultrafine resolution displacement. The LVDT scale 24 is preferably mounted ona vibration-isolated mount 120. A concave weighing pan 122 is used tohold the sample (i.e., an individual piece of particulate matter) whilethe weighing operation is performed, and is connected to the LVDT loadcell. This weighing pan 122 may itself be mounted to a heavy, largeblock (not explicitly shown) to further minimize the adverse effects ofvibration on measurement accuracy.

The LVDT can be subjected to a maximum dynamic impact force (forexample, of about 200 milligrams). The cuts 104 and holes 110 (see, FIG.4A) in the velocity transition region, as discussed above, assist inslowing down the velocity of the individual piece such that impact whendelivered to the weighing subsystem is at or below the impact limits ofthe scale 24.

Once an individual piece is present on the pan 122, weight data 52 iscollected and the central controller 46 examines the derivative of theweight signal output from the LVDT. This allows the system 10 todetermine when the scale has settled following placement of theindividual piece thereon. The weight signal output is preferablyfiltered and conditioned in a manner well known to those skilled in theart using an electric read-out system (not explicitly shown). A weightalgorithm executed by the central controller 46 takes multiple weightreadings until the readings fall within certain predefined errorcriteria (for example, a hysteresis or offset), and then the lastmeasured weight (or an average of a certain number of recentmeasurements) is stored in memory (perhaps in combination with otherdata, as discussed elsewhere herein, to allow for tracking of theindividual pieces).

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 wherein there is shown a schematic topview of a ducted port system 130 portion of the inter-subsystem passingdevice 40. The ducted port system 130 is mounted about the concaveweighing pan 122 (shown in dotted lines) and is utilized to selectivelycollect 42 individual pieces 14 of particulate matter 16 from the scale24 of the weighing subsystem 28 (see, also, FIG. 1). At least one airjet 140 (actuated under the control of the peripheral controller 48 andcentral controller 46) is used to blow 142 the individual piece off thepan 122 and into a tube 144 that functions as part of a conveyancemechanism to pass 44 the collected individual pieces for furtherhandling. One option for such further handling of the individual piecesis to accept the pieces and send them on to the sorting subsystem 30where they are individually routed 32 and deposited 36 in selectedlocations 34 (see, FIG. 1). Another option for such further handling toreject the individual pieces and send them on for disposal or otherappropriate handling (also shown in FIG. 1). To effectuate such multipleoptions for handling, a plurality of air jets 140 may be used. As anexample, and as shown in FIG. 6, two air jets 140(1) and 140(2), offsetfrom each other by ninety degrees (for example), are aimed at the pan122 and selectively actuated to displace the weighed individual piecefor a selected one of two or more possible options. For example,actuating air jet 140(1) alone would cause the collection 42 of anindividual piece in the opposite tube 144(1), while actuating air jet140(2) alone would cause the collection 42 of an individual piece in theopposite tube 144(2).

As an enhancement to the operation of the ducted port system, concurrentwith the actuation of the air jet 140, a slight vacuum may be drawn 146through the open end of the tube 144 to suck the dislodged individualpiece 14 of particulate matter 16 into the tube for passing 44. Thissuction may be effectuated using Venturi (or other suitable suction)forces in a manner well known in the art. Although advantageous, the useof such a suction is not necessary for many system 10 applications.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 wherein there is shown a schematicorthogonal diagram of a sorting subsystem 30 utilized within the systemof FIG. 1. A support arm 160 suspends the tube 100 (at about the elbowportion 102) for the inter-system passing device 40 (or the selectionsubsystem 18) over a support table 162. Mounted to the support table162, under the location of the elbow portion 102, is an X-Y translationstage 164. One or more trays (not shown, see, FIG. 8), each defining oneor more locations 34 (see, FIG. 1) where individual pieces 14 ofparticulate matter 16 may be deposited 36, can be supported by the x-ytranslation stage 164. Under the command of the central controller 46and the peripheral controller 48, the x-y translation stage 164 movesthe supported tray(s) such that selected ones, and perhaps all, of thelocations 34 are sequentially positioned under the end of the tube 100.With each such positioning, an individual piece conveyed through thetube 100 pursuant to the routing 22 or passing 44 actions, iseffectively sorted by the sorting subsystem 30 into the positionedlocation 34. Data 52 that is received from, or is derived in connectionwith the operation of, the sorting subsystem 30 concerning the locations34 where the individual pieces of particulate matter have been deposited36 is collected by the central controller 46 and stored in memory(perhaps in combination with other data, such as weight data, asdiscussed elsewhere herein, to allow for tracking of the individualpieces).

Although only one x-y translation stage is shown for moving thelocations 34 underneath the collar 106, it will be recognized by thoseskilled in the art that alternatively the locations 34 could be fixedand the tube 100, elbow portion 102 and collar 106 could be moved usingan x-y translation stage into position for depositing sorted individualpieces. Still further, it will be recognized that as a furtheralternative both the locations 34 and the tube 100, elbow portion 102and collar 106 each could be moved using a separate x-y translationstage. Coordinated movement of the two translation stages would berequired to achieve alignment for deposition of individual pieces intothe proper locations 34.

The implementation described above provides for the placement of asingle individual piece of particulate matter in each location 34. Itwill be recognized that sorting to this degree of granularity may not berequired in some industrial applications. For example, in the context ofan operation to sort into weight classes, a number of locations 34 maybe provided, with each location assigned by the system 10 to a certainweight range. As the process described above for picking and weighingindividual pieces proceeds, the sorting operation performed by thesorting subsystem 30 collects all picked individual pieces whosemeasured weight falls within the defined weight range into thecorresponding location 34 for that range. Any individual pieces whoseweight fails to fall within one of the defined ranges are rejected bythe inter-subsystem passing device 40.

Reference is now made to FIG. 8 wherein there is shown an orthogonalview of a particulate matter handling system 10 in accordance with thepresent invention that is engineered to implement the third mode ofoperation (pick, weigh, sort). The illustrated system 10 is designed forthe handling of agricultural products, more specifically, seeds. It willbe recognized that the illustration does not show each and everycomponent or part of the system 10. Certain components and parts are notshown in the illustration to reveal other more important components andparts or to simplify the illustration and allow for a betterunderstanding of how the system is assembled and operates.Cross-reference to the system 10 block diagram of FIG. 1 (and itsdescription), as well as to other FIGURES, may be of some assistance inbetter understanding system operation.

Seeds (i.e., the particulate matter being handled) are loaded into thebin 12. This particular implementation of the system 10 utilizes theselection subsystem 18 embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C. Individualseeds are raised by the piston 66, held by the vacuum cup 90 and blownby the air jet 76 into the tube 78. It will be noted that the system 10shown in FIG. 8 includes two selection subsystems 18, and that thisconfiguration presents some advantages. For example, the use of twopistons 66 increases the likelihood that for each actuation of thepistons, at least one seed will be picked. Additionally, if both pistons66 successfully pick a seed, throughput can potentially be increased andfewer piston actuations will be needed. Still further, two bins allowfor concurrent handling of different types/kinds of seeds.

The picked seed is handled through tube 100 and deposited onto the scale24 of the weighing subsystem 28. It will be noted that the selectionsubsystem 18 utilizes the delivery mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 4A and4B with a pneumatically actuated 108 collar 106 to ensure precisedeposit of the seed onto the scale 24 pan 122.

Some specific details of the inter-subsystem passing device 40 areobscured in the illustration (see, for example, FIG. 6 for more detail).However, it will be noted that two exit options are provided, one whichleads to the sorting subsystem 30 and another which leads to a rejection(see, FIG. 1).

A tray 200 rests on the x-y translation stage 16. A registrationmechanism, such as an alignment guide, edge(s) or pin(s) is providedwith the translation stage to ensure accurate and consistent placementof the tray 200 on the stage. The tray 200 is sized to receive a certainnumber of plates 202 (twelve such plates are shown). Each plate 202includes a certain number of wells 204, with each well comprising alocation 34 (see, FIG. 1) where a single seed may be deposited 36. Thex-y translation stage 164 moves the tray 200 holding the plurality ofplates 202 such that each well 204 is sequentially positioned underneaththe collar 106 of the sorting subsystem 30.

It will be noted that the sorting subsystem 30 utilizes the deliverymechanism illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B minus the use of apneumatically actuated 108 collar 106. A fixed collar 106, as discussedpreviously is used. It will further be noted that a second collar 106′is attached to the delivery mechanism. Preferably, this attachment ismade using a magnetic device. An advantage of this is that the collar106′ is then easily broken away from the delivery mechanism in the eventof a hang-up or interference between the sorting subsystem and theplates 202 or wells 204 as the x-y translation stage 164 attempts tomove the tray 200.

Reference is now made to FIG. 9 wherein there is shown a schematicdiagram of the control operation for the particulate matter handlingsystem 10 of the present invention. A peripheral controller 48 isdirectly in charge of managing system operation. The peripheralcontroller 48 operates under the control and direction of the centralcontroller 46 (see, FIG. 1). Taking the configuration of the system 10shown in FIG. 8 as an example, the peripheral controller 48 receives anumber of sensor 54 inputs. Two vacuum sensors 300 and 302 are used inconnection with the FIGS. 3A-3C pair of selection subsystems 18 tosense, based on vacuum pressure, when an individual piece of particulatematter has been successfully held by the vacuum cup 90. One such sensoris needed for each vacuum cup 90 within the implementation shown in FIG.8, as discussed above, which makes use of two pistons 66. Four pistonposition sensors (two for up: sensors 304 and 306; and two for down:sensors 308 and 310) are used in connection with the FIGS. 3A-3Cselection subsystem 18 operation to sense the position of each of thetwo pistons 66 and assist in making piston actuation start and stopdecisions.

The peripheral controller 48 further exercises control (generallyillustrated by arrow 56 in FIG. 1) over the operations and actions takenby the various components of the system 10. Taking the configuration ofthe system 10 shown in FIG. 8 as an example, the peripheral controller48 controls a first and second elevator solenoid valve 320 and 322,respectively, to pneumatically actuate the pistons 66 to move betweenthe up and down positions (as sensed by the sensors 304-310). A pair ofvacuum solenoid valves 324 and 326 are controlled by the peripheralcontroller 48 to draw the vacuum at the vacuum cups 90 that hold thepicked seeds within the selection subsystem 18. More specifically, eachof these valves 324 and 326 allow pressurized air to be input to aVenturi block that is used for the purpose of drawing a suction at thevacuum cups 90. In connection with the operation of the vacuum cups 90,the peripheral controller 48 may further control a pair of drop solenoidvalves 326 and 328 which allow pressurized air to be applied to thevacuum cups to blow a held seed away. This may be useful to assistgravitational forces in dropping the held seeds from the vacuum cups 90.Preferably, the valves 326 and 328 are actuated when the valves 324 and326 are un-actuated (and vice-versa). The peripheral controller 48 stillfurther controls a pair of transfer jet solenoid valves 330 and 332which allow pressurized air to be applied to the air jets 76 within theselection subsystem 18 that blow the picked seeds into the tubes 78. Inorder ensure only a single seed is processed at a time, operation of thevalves 330 and 332 is generally mutually exclusive and coordinated, alsoin a mutually exclusive manner, with the operation of the valves 326 and328. A collar solenoid valve 334 is controlled by the peripheralcontroller 48 to pneumatically actuate (reference 108) the collar 106 tomove between the up and down positions and thus control the placement ofthe picked seed on the pan 122 of the scale 24. Down movement of thecollar 106 must be closely controlled so that the collar does not impacton or damage the pan 122 (and thus possibly damage the sensitive LVDTload cell). Finally, the peripheral controller 48 controls an acceptsolenoid valve 336 and a reject solenoid valve 338 which allowpressurized air to be applied to the air jets 140 within theinter-subsystem passing device 40 that selectively blow the weighedseeds off the weighing pan 122 for either sorting in the sortingsubsystem 30 or rejection. In order to ensure proper forwarding of theweighed seed in the right direction, operation of the valves 336 and 338is generally mutually exclusive.

Although preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of thepresent invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings anddescribed in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but iscapable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutionswithout departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth anddefined by the following claims.

1-28. (canceled)
 29. A machine comprising: a device that measures a weight of an individual piece of particulate matter; a first air jet positioned adjacent to the device, the first air jet activated to blow the weighed individual piece of particulate matter off the device; and a first tube positioned opposite the first air jet to catch the blown individual piece of particulate matter into the first tube for conveying in a pressurized air stream.
 30. The machine as in claim 29 wherein the first tube comprises a suction tube activated substantially simultaneously with the first air jet to suck the blown individual piece of particulate matter into the first tube for conveying.
 31. The machine as in claim 29 further comprising: a second air jet positioned adjacent to the device and at an angle with respect to the first air jet, the second air jet activated to blow the weighed individual piece of particulate matter off the device; and a second tube positioned opposite the second air jet to catch the blown individual piece of particulate matter into the second tube for conveying in a pressurized air stream.
 32. The machine as in claim 31 further comprising a control device for actuating the first air jet and second air jet in a mutually exclusive manner to effectuate a selection of the first tube or second tube for conveying the weighed individual piece of particulate matter.
 33. (canceled)
 34. The machine as in claim 29 wherein the first tube includes a velocity transition region to slow the velocity of the removed individual piece of particulate matter being transported by the pressurized air stream.
 35. The machine as in claim 34 wherein the velocity transition region comprises at least one pressure reducing feature formed in the first tube.
 36. The machine as in claim 35 wherein the pressure reducing feature comprises a plurality of longitudinal cuts on an interior surface of the tube.
 37. The machine as in claim 35 wherein the pressure reducing feature comprises a plurality of radial openings allowing pressure to escape from the first tube.
 38. The machine as in claim 37, wherein the plurality of radial openings are made in a collar attached to a distal end of the first tube.
 39. The machine as in claim 29 wherein the pressurized air stream is generated by the first air jet.
 40. The machine as in claim 29 wherein the first tube has a distal end, further comprising: a plurality of receptacles; and a device that sorts conveyed individual pieces of particulate matter output from the distal end of the first tube into selected ones of the plurality of receptacles.
 41. The machine as in claim 40 wherein the device that sorts comprises an x-y translation stage that selectively moves individual ones of the plurality of receptacles into a position to receive conveyed individual pieces of particulate matter output from the distal end of the first tube.
 42. The machine as in claim 41 further including a controller operable to store data for each individual piece of particulate matter in association with the particular one of the receptacles within which that individual piece of particulate matter has been sorted.
 43. The machine as in claim 40 wherein the plurality of receptacles comprise wells located on a well plate.
 44. The machine as in claim 29 wherein the particulate matter comprises agricultural seeds.
 45. The machine as in claim 29 wherein the particulate matter comprises pelletal objects.
 46. A machine comprising: a picking apparatus operating to select individual pieces of particulate matter from a bin; a weighing apparatus operating to weigh the selected individual pieces of particulate matter; a first transport mechanism for conveying the selected individual pieces of particulate matter between the picking apparatus and the weighing apparatus; a sorting apparatus operating to sort the weighed individual pieces of particulate matter into a plurality of receptacles; and a second transport mechanism for conveying the weighed individual pieces of particulate matter between the weighing apparatus and the sorting apparatus.
 47. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the each of the first and second transport mechanisms comprises a tube for conveying the individual pieces of particulate matter in a pressurized air stream.
 48. The machine as in claim 47 wherein the tube for each of the first and second transport mechanisms includes a velocity transition region to slow the velocity of the individual piece of particulate matter being transported by the pressurized air stream.
 49. The machine as in claim 48 wherein the velocity transition region comprises at least one pressure reducing feature formed in the tube.
 50. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the first and second transport mechanisms each include an air jet to generate the pressurized air stream.
 51. The machine as in claim 50 wherein the air jet of the second transport mechanism is activated to blow the individual piece of particulate matter off the weighing apparatus into the second transport mechanism.
 52. The machine as in claim 51 further including a third transport mechanism for conveying the weighed individual pieces of particulate matter from the weighing apparatus to a rejection area instead of to the sorting apparatus.
 53. The machine as in claim 52 wherein the third transport mechanism includes an offset air jet that is angularly offset from the air jet of the second transport mechanism, the offset air jet being activated to blow the individual piece of particulate matter from the weighing apparatus and into the rejection area.
 54. The machine as in claim 50 wherein the air jet of the first transport mechanism is activated to blow the individual piece of particulate matter from the picking apparatus and into the first transport mechanism.
 55. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the bin has a bottom portion with an opening therein, the picking apparatus comprising: a piston having an end with a concave depression therein, the piston being positioned to pass through the opening in the bin bottom portion; and an actuator coupled to the piston and operable to move the piston through the opening in the bin between a first position where the end is substantially flush with the opening in the bottom portion of the bin and a second position where the end is raised above the bottom portion of the bin, the movement of piston from the first position to the second position under the control of the actuator causing a single individual piece of particulate matter in the bin to be captured by the concave depression and raised above the bottom portion.
 56. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the sorting apparatus comprises an x-y translation stage that selectively moves individual ones of the plurality of receptacles into a position to receive conveyed individual pieces of particulate matter output from the second transport mechanism.
 57. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the plurality of receptacles comprise wells located on a well plate.
 58. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the particulate matter comprises agricultural seeds.
 59. The machine as in claim 46 wherein the particulate matter comprises pelletal objects.
 60. A method for automatically sorting particulate matter, the method comprising: selecting a first piece of particulate matter from a plurality of pieces of particulate matter; selecting a second piece of particulate matter from the plurality of pieces of particulate matter; weighing each of the first and second pieces of particulate matter; and depositing the weighed pieces of particulate matter into one of a plurality of receptacles.
 61. The method of claim 60 wherein the method is substantially automated with a machine comprising a picking apparatus operating to select the first and second pieces of particulate matter from a bin.
 62. The method of claim 60 wherein the method is substantially automated with a machine comprising a weighing apparatus operating to weigh the first and second pieces of particulate matter.
 63. The method of claim 60, wherein the method is substantially automated with a machine comprising: a picking apparatus operating to select the first and second pieces of particulate matter from a bin; a weighing apparatus operating to weigh the first and second pieces of particulate matter; a first transport mechanism for conveying the selected pieces of particulate matter between the picking apparatus and the weighing apparatus; a sorting apparatus operating to sort the weighed first and second pieces of particulate matter into one of a plurality of receptacles; and a second transport mechanism for conveying the weighed pieces of particulate matter between the weighing apparatus and the sorting apparatus.
 64. The method of claim 60, wherein the method comprises depositing each of the first and second pieces into one of a plurality of receptacles based on the measured weight of the piece.
 65. The method as set forth in claim 60 wherein the particulate matter comprises pelletal objects.
 66. The method as set forth in claim 60 wherein the particulate matter comprises agricultural seeds. 